- PALASZEWSKI MISSES XFO, SIGNS WITH WEC

by Mick Hammond – MMAWeekly.com
It never ceases to amaze how in life when one door closes another opens. One minute someone is looking at disappointment, the next, opportunity.

Such has the case been this past weekend been for former International Fight League lightweight Bart Palaszewski.

Originally slated to fight on manager Jeff Curran’s XFO show on Saturday, Palaszewski disappointingly ended up not participating.

“I made weight, everything was fine, but my opponent (Eric Wisely) failed his medicals,” relayed Palaszewski. “We found that out Friday night when he didn’t show up for weigh-ins.

“The commission doesn’t allow last-minute replacements, so I didn’t get a fight.”

But as that opportunity slipped away, another huge one became available just a short while later, as Palaszewski found out he’d officially been contracted to a six-fight deal with World Extreme Cagefighting.

“The next couple of years I’ll be in the WEC for sure, if I don’t get cut,” he confirmed with a chuckle. “I’m going to go in there, mix it up and make my mark.

“There’s a lot of fighters I think I match up well (with). In the WEC a lot of guys are willing to stand and trade, so it’s going to make for some exciting fights for sure.”

When it comes to his possible WEC debut, Palaszewski is unsure, but he does want to fight at least once before year’s end.

“I’m in shape and ready to fight,” he stated. “If they need a 155-pounder for the Sept. 10 show, I’m down.

“I’m getting married in November, so nothing can happen in November. So it’d have to be in December, September or October. I’m not sure what’s going on, if they have a show planned after Sept. 10, so I’ll just take it day-by-day for now.”

Palaszewski is the latest former IFL fighter to get an opportunity with a bigger show, following in the footsteps of his former Quad Cities Silverbacks teammates Rory Markham, Travis Wiuff, and Ben Rothwell.

“It was great,” he said of his time in the IFL. “From fighting to the people I’ve met, all the new friends I got to train with, the guys in Iowa, just the exposure on a big scale was great.

“The (team championship) ring is definitely special to me. It’s good to look back on for the memories and good times we had.”

What is past is past, and it’s the future that Palaszewski is focused on, and he couldn’t be happier.

“The WEC is a huge deal for me; I’m very excited and almost speechless,” he closed out. “As I said, I’m going to go in there, mix it up, put on a good show right off the bat, make my mark, climb that ladder and try to make it to the top.

“I want to thank the fans and everybody that’s supported me throughout the years; and I also want to thank Jeff Curran for making this deal happen.”